Voting machine



Dec. 11, 1962 R. F. SHOUP ET AL VOTING MACHINE Filed NOV. 10, 1960 5Sheets-Sheet 1 BY EDWARD A. Fax; :18

INVENTORS AA/VSOM E JHOUP R. F. SHOUP ET AL VOTING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS AA/VSOM F. SHOUP EQWAAD A. A; 3k.

ATTO/QA/EX Dec. 11, 1962 Filed Nov. 10, 1960 Dec. 11, 1962 R. F. SHOUPET AL 3,067,929

' VOTING MACHINE Filed NOV. 10, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /ff 'f fj'INVENTORS BY 50% A. Fm; JR

United States This invention relates to a voting machine of the typedisclosed in prior Shoup patients, such as Patent No. 2,054,102 and No.2,826,356, and other Shoup patents which are available for inspection inthe United States Patent Ofiice.

Patent 2,054,102 discloses a voting machine which includes a number ofvertical columns of voting spindles,

and a ballot assembly including a backing plate (31); a ballot (33); aprotector (32); and shutter (34) associated with each of said columns ofvoting spindles. The ballot assemblies referred to were inserteddownwardly through slots (36) provided in the top of the machine. SeeFIGS. 6, 7, and 21, and line 60, et seq., lefthand column, page 3, ofPatent 2,054,102.

The ballot assemblies are about 40 inches long and the machine itself isover five feet high. Therefore, the assemblies could not be inserteddownwardly into the machine except in a room having a suificiently highceiling. Since in most modern buildings the average ceilings are abouteight feet high, it was necessary to tilt the large and heavy votingmachine on its side to permit insertion of the ballots and their covers.

It is therefore the object of this invention to produce an improvedvoting machine of the type set forth in which the plates and shuttersare non-removable and in which the flexible, transparent paper ballotand the flexible protector are readily insertable into position in anyroom in which a machine can be placed in upright position with outhaving to tilt the voting machine on its side.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to permitinsertion of the ballot, and its flexible transparent cover, at a pointnear the bottom of each column of voting spindles and to provide anaccess door which is closed while the machine is being used and whichcan be opened only when the machine is not in use, or after the votingis completed to permit the removal of the ballots, the resetting of themachine, and the insertion of new ballots for use in a subsequentelection.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, and diagrammatic, front elevational view of avoting machine shown in Shoup Patent, No. 2,826,356, but embodying theimprovements of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, exploded, fragmentary view showing the parts ofsaid voting machine with which the parts constituting the presentinvention co-act.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sectional view looking in thedirection of line 3-3 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view looking in the direction of line4-4 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is similar to the upper portion of FIG. 4, except that it showshow the flexible, transparent cover of the ballot is inserted over thepaper ballot, which was similarly inserted.

FIG. 6 is an enlargement of the lower portion of a ballot and its cover,showing details of construction.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section looking in the direction of line 7-7 onFIG. 1.

Patent 2,826,356 discloses all of the elements of a voting machine withwhich the parts constituting the present atent Patented Eec. 11, 1962"ice to the right, slide 102 is also moved to the right and pin rides oncam 106, and that, when slide 102 is moved to the left, pin 100 rides oncam 104, for the purpose set forth in PatentN o. 2,826,356. Bin fit willbe noted that, when slide 102 is moved to the right, dog 114 engagesratchet 112a nd therefore the slide can not lie moved to the left unlesslock 124, which is controlled by the custodian of the machine, is turnedto the right to cause finger 126 to engage finger 128 and lift dog 114out of engage ment with the ratchetTlZ on slide 102.

In carrying out our invention, e provide finger 126 of the custodianslock 124 with a forwardly projecting pin 130 which is adapted to engageopening 132 in the adjacent end of a slide 134. Slide 134 is carried bypins 136 which are carried by a fixed wall 56 of the machine and whichpass through slots 137 and 138 in slide 1 52 and plate 74, respectively,to engage slots 139 in slide 134,

to support the slide and fingers 140 which are carried thereby, forlateral movement upon rotation of lock 124.

The lower ends of the ballots, and their covers, are protected by a door142 which is hinged at 144 to a fixed wall 146 of the machine. Door 142is provided with internal pendent plates 148 which, when slide 134 ismoved to the left, register with fingers 140 on slide 134 to preventmovement of the door from the closed, solid line, to the open, brokenline, position of FIG. 4.

A machine of the type referred to includes fixed, rigid strips 150through which the voting spindles S project and moveable shutters 68which are disposed between the strips and are moveable to cover, oruncover, the vote counters of the machine. The marginal portions ofstrips 150 are spaced from the adjacent supporting wall to form channelsfor receiving the vertical edges 152 of ballots 153 and the verticaledges 154 of the ballot covers 155. It will be seen from F168. 1 and 7that the upper ends of the ballots and their covers are disposed behindthe front wall 156 of the upper cover of the machine. In order to holdthe ballots in position, we provide a spring plate 158 which carries apin 160 which is disposed below the lower edge 162 of front cover 15-6,and on which the ballot is impaled. If desired, we also provide flatsprings 164 which carry pins 166 for engaging the lower ends of theballots.

The operation is as follows:

To insert the ballots, the custodian turns lock 124 to the right to moveslide 134 to the right to take fingers 140 out of registration with lugs148 on the door 142 to permit movement of the door to the open, brokenline, position of FIG. 4. The old ballots, if any, and their covers, areremoved, and the new ballots, and their covers, are inserted, upwardly,in the general manner shown in FIG. 5. It will be understood that whenthe ballot reaches its proper position, its upper end is engaged withpin 160 and its lower end is engaged with pins 166. The

fingers into registration with the lugs 148 on the door to lock the doorin position, and the election ofiicer turns lock 120 to the right tomove slide 1 52 to the right so as to engage dog 114 with ratchet 112 inthe manner,

and for the purpose set forth in, the Patent 2,826,356.

What we claim is:

1. The combination with a voting machine of the type which includes atleast one column of voting spindles, a slide movabie to a firstposition, in which said voting spindles are useable, and to a secondposition, in which said voting spindles are locked against use, a firstactuating means for moving said slide to either of said positions,retaining means automatically operable, upon movement or" said slide toits first position, to lock said slide in said first position, a secondactuating means for releas ing said retaining means to permit movementof said slide to its second position, an elongated ballot, means oneither side or" said column defining an open ended channel for receivingsaid ballot, one end of said channel being closed to prevent access tothe corresponding end of said ballot and the other end of said channelbeing open to perrnit insertion of said ballot into, and withdrawal ofsaid ballot from, said channel, a door for closing said other end ofsaid channel, a latching mechanism for locking said door in closedposition, and means operatively connecting said latching mechanism tosaid second actuating means and operable upon engagement of said secondactuating means with said retaining means to disengage said latchingmechanism and permit opening of said door, said latch mechanismincluding:

an auxiliary slide,

a finger carried thereby,

a lug carried by the inner wall of said door and engageable with saidfinger, said lug and said finger being so related that movement of saidslide to its second position disengages said finger and said lug.

A voting machine including:

a vertical column of voting spindles,

a mechanism movable to a first position in which said spindles arelocked against use and to a second position in which said spindles arereleased for use,

a ballot bearing the names of candidates to be voted a channelassociated with said column of voting spindies and adapted to receivesaid ballot, the upper end of said channel being closed and the lowerend thereof being open for the insertion and withdrawal or" the ballottherethrough,

a door hinged about a horizontal axis below the lower end of saidchannel and movable to an upper position in which it obstructs the lowerend of said channel and to a lower position in which the lower end ofthe channel is unobstructed,

a slide,

latch means carried by said slide and engageable with said door when thelatter is in its upper position to lock said door in said position, and

means operatively connecting said slide for joint movement with saidmechanism whereby, when said door is in its upper position, movement ofsaid mechanism to its second position engages said latch means with saiddoor.

McKenzie Dec. 14, 1909 Shoup et al Sept. 15, 1936

